Playground
Playground
Creative Play
Empowering creativity in very young children
Playground is an exciting programme of creative play sessions for young children being delivered in town and village libraries across Kent.
Led by a team of brilliant artists and musicians, parents and carers can share creative play with their babies (aged 0 to 24 months).
You will gain confidence and enthusiasm for continued and sustained creative engagement with your children.
Gentle creative play sessions for babies.
Artists are working in libraries and children’s centres with mentoring from national and international artists to develop their creative practice for babies and their families.
They empower staff and families with confidence and enthusiasm for sustained creative engagement with their babies.
Quotation
Playground is an example of genuine community engagement practice for our youngest children and the adults who care for them… it is clear that a new model of creative engagement for the very young is emerging in Kent and there is much we can learn …”
Playground is Organic
The team has learned that Playground is an organic process led by babies and the development is iterative. A flexible and adaptable approach is key to ensure the highest quality experience for all those involved.
Their focus to date has been on babies aged 0-24 months from a wide and diverse range of backgrounds, immersing them and those who care for them in creative activity that is deeply engaging, transformative and of the highest quality.
The current phase runs until June 2022. Playground wishes to sustain the current activity but also develop the project to engage two to five year olds and children with complex needs.
Research partners at Kent
The University of Kent is conducting research around the project, and have observed that in a relatively short space of time the artists have developed confidence in working with 0–24-month-old babies, recognising first-hand the importance and impact of working creatively with this age group, have learnt to trust the babies as co-creators of creativity, and learnt to trust themselves as artistic practitioners.
